FFXIV Director Naoki Yoshida: Graphics Update Forges "Better Environment" For Its Artists

Final Fantasy 14’s upcoming graphics update is one of the, if not the, most anticipated changes taking place in when Dawntrail launches this summer, if not either of the new classes or newly-playable female Hrothgar. Thankfully, it seems the feeling of relief will be mutual between both players and its developers responsible for the game’s already-beloved visuals. 

In a Play Magazine interview with director and producer Naoki Yoshida, he gets into detail about the upcoming visual overhaul, talking about it hopefully drawing in both new and old players as the game peaks over its ten-year anniversary. 

Yoshida also explains that the update is being done in no small part to ensure the sustainability and “environment” for the team behind it. He says that the current state of graphics development in FFXIV isn’t bad, per se, but more that there could be improvements for the team’s process—which he believes would be good for their “mentality.” 

“[W]hen we look at the graphics pipeline, it’s now two generations old,” he says, likely referring to the fact that FFXIV was built for the Playstation 3. In fact, when Stormblood was released in 2017, the MMORPG entirely dropped PS3 support, though this seemed more likely due to back-end engine issues rather than graphics alone as the game grew larger in scope. 

“The artists who are working on Final Fantasy XIV, I wanted to give them a better environment. By being able to work on more advanced graphics technology, they can advance their career and they can also be able to work with the newer features.” The teams behind these pipelines will also have more “efficiencies” through this tech, which Yoshida says he’s looking forward to implementing despite the hard work required. 

The interview, which was released today in English on digital platforms, also gets into a few other Dawntrail development details. Regarding the female Hrothgar design, which has divided the community, Yoshida explains that about eight proposals were brought up